The Birthday Girl
by makesmyheadspin
Summary: My nod to 80s movies: 16 Candles, The Breakfast Club, Pretty In Pink, Say Anything & The Princess Bride. It all starts when it seems that everyone has forgotten Sookie's birthday. Well, almost everyone....
1. The Birthday Girl

**The Birthday Girl**

I woke up on my twenty-seventh birthday with a slight smile on my face. Okay, so turning twenty-seven wasn't that big a deal. It wasn't really a milestone year, but the fact that I had made it to twenty-seven was a pretty big deal when I thought about all the things I'd had to survive to make it this far. If I made it to thirty, I was really going to party. Of course, that was a big if, and one I wasn't too keen on having hanging over my head.

I got out of bed and started a pot of coffee. Amelia was already gone for the day. I'd gotten home from work later than usual. Sam had been in a bit of a mood the night before, though I wasn't sure quite what his problem was. He was guarding his thoughts more closely but I was fine with that. I didn't like peeking in the heads of my friends and it was a relief to have his help in the matter for a change.

I made myself a Belgian waffle the way Gran would have if she had been around to do it for me. I even threw in the mandatory chocolate chips and whipped cream. I sat down at the kitchen table to eat and enjoy my coffee. I was half way through my waffle when the phone rang. I decided to let the machine get it. If it was anyone worth talking to, then I would pick up.

As luck would have it, it was Jason calling. "Sook, it's me. If you're there, pick up. I need to talk to you."

I reluctantly got up and went over to the phone. "Good morning Jason."

"Hey, good, you're home. I was worried maybe I'd missed you." He sounded relieved. I waited for him to break into a horrible chorus of the birthday song that would have hound dogs from here to the Yukon begging for the sweet release of death. It's a good thing I didn't hold my breath. "Listen, I uh, I was wondering if you could teach me how to make that chicken thing Gran used to make?"

Only my brother would ask me something like that. I had to assume he was in the doghouse with Crystal and needed some sort of ace to get him out of it. I didn't particularly like Crystal, but I wanted my brother to be happy. I took a deep breath and then answered.

"I suppose I could, but I can't do it tonight. I work tonight." I told him.

"How about tomorrow? You got time tomorrow?"

I bit my lip to keep from reminding him what day it was. If he didn't remember on his own, I sure as heck wasn't about to tell him. "I work the lunch shift tomorrow. I should be home by four."

"Works for me. Thanks, sis!" He said with excitement and then hung up before I could say anything else.

I stared at the phone with disbelief, although I'm not sure why. I wasn't even looking at the receiver when I hung up. I returned to a cold waffle and melted whipped cream.

"Happy birthday, Sookie." I grumbled and then dumped the rest of my breakfast in the trash.

* * *

I ran a few errands before work. I ran to the post office, the library and did a little grocery shopping. For reasons I couldn't quite understand, I picked up some True Blood. I hadn't seen a vampire in a while, but I figured that was no excuse if one happened to drop by. Even Bill had been keeping his distance in the last few months. Whether that was due to sour grapes, his girlfriend or him finally getting the message that we were over, I wasn't quite sure. Regardless of the reason, I had been enjoying my respite from the vampire community. It was a much needed break, and I think I earned it after all I'd been through.

I got home with enough time left over to take advantage of some early afternoon sunshine before having to get in the shower to get ready for work. My tan deepened just a smidge. It had taken up until about a week ago, but the effects of Eric's blood had worn off. Well, minus the blood bond part. That was always there, and it wasn't going to go away. I still hadn't decided how I felt about it, exactly, but I knew it was infinitely better than being bonded to Andre.

I was just thankful I couldn't feel his every emotion when we were so far apart. I was aware of him, though. I could feel it when he came to life for the day, and I could feel it when he got closer to me. I would grin like an idiot when he did. I told myself it was the blood, but nine times out of ten, I really was happy to see him.

By the time I got to work I felt energized and ready to take on what was sure to be a busy night, even if it was just a Wednesday. It was Home Run Derby night. Merlotte's wasn't a sports bar, but if there was some big thing happening in sports, Sam would make sure it was on the television. Louisiana didn't have a baseball team of its own. It seemed as if there was an even split between the Atlanta braves fans and the Texas Rangers fans. No one from either team was participating in the derby, but that didn't stop local guys from taking over the bar for the night.

Once the dinner crowd cleared out, I was surrounded by men that ranged between the ages of twenty-one and sixty. I didn't see my brother anywhere, which surprised me. I figured he was in the process of trying to smooth things over with Crystal. Hoyt was there, though, sweet as ever. Sam was behind the bar with a sour puss on his face, and I was doing my damnedest to stay away from him. If he was going to be in a mood, it was better if I just let him be.

No one mentioned my birthday, and after a while, I just stopped hoping for it. Amelia came in for a few minutes but I didn't have time to chat. She was on her way out for the night and had mostly stopped in to tell me not to wait up. She had plans with Pam, of all people. How those two had met wasn't any of my business and I didn't want to know what they did when they got together. Being that Pam is a vampire and Amelia has quite the adventurous side when it comes to more intimate things, I could only imagine what those two could get into.

The night sailed by and before I knew it, it was time to go home. Sam and I didn't say much. It bothered me a little that he had forgotten my birthday. Sam was the old reliable friend I could always count on, even when I knew he wasn't going to be happy with whatever it was that was going on in my life. Knowing he had forgotten my birthday completely just really bummed me out. It also worried me, since Sam wasn't doing a whole lot of talking in general. At least I knew I wasn't to blame for his mood.

"Sam, are you okay?" I asked before I left. "You haven't been yourself the last couple of days."

"Just got a lot on my mind, cher. Nothing for you to worry about. I'll see you in the morning." He dismissed me. Sam _never_ dismissed me. That certainly stung. I thought about reading him the riot act, but decided against it. Whatever it was he was dealing with had to be more important than me feeling neglected on a day I didn't even really want to celebrate myself.

I drove myself home. My birthday was officially over. Not a single soul had acknowledged the day outside of myself. Did that even count? I decided to put it out of my mind since there was no going back to change it anyway. I decided I would take a shower and maybe sit outside a while and let the sounds of the woods work its magic on me. I would be asleep before I knew it, and a new day would begin.

It seemed like a good plan. Then I pulled into my driveway to find a red Corvette parked in it.

* * *

I parked around back the way I always did. I hadn't seen Eric in months. I was grinning like a fool. I tried to make it stop, but it seemed the harder I tried to ignore it or push it away from me, the harder it was to ignore. Was it the blood, or was it me? I didn't like not knowing. I liked Eric. When we weren't dealing with stupid vampire problems, he was a fun guy to be around. He made me laugh. He enjoyed living, in spite of having done it for so long. He liked having me around, and to be honest, I liked having him around too.

So why had I avoided him? Well, I saved his life, for starters. Yes, I know, I've done it before. This time it was different, and I was very well aware of it. The first time I'd done it, I was tricked into it in a way that only Eric could pull off and not have me mad at him for the rest of my natural life. Sometimes it even made me laugh to think of how naive I had been. Eric was just being Eric. He saw an opportunity and he took it. That didn't make it right, but that was just Eric's way.

The second time he had taken a bullet for me first. If I hadn't killed Debbie Pelt, she would have killed me. There really wasn't much of a way around that one, though I wasn't all that comfortable with the knowledge I now had a body count attached to my name. So far I had killed a vampire iand/i a were. I wasn't particularly proud of myself for either of those things, but I had learned that I had no choice in the matter. Eric would probably explain it as my survival skills kicking in. It was either them or me. I liked me better. It might not be very Christian, but I wasn't trying to be Jesus. I was just trying to make it another year.

And I had. I was twenty-seven. Up until a minute ago, I was alone. Now I had Eric to contend with. Maybe being alone was the better option.

"No time like the present to find out." I sighed and got out of the car.

I walked up the back steps to the mud porch and went to put my key in the lock when the door opened. Eric stood before me in a pair of jeans that hung low on his nicely sculpted hips and a black tank top that seemed to be begging me to rip it off of him so I could see what was under it.

"Good evening, Sookie." Eric flashed me one of his grins.

"I thought we talked about you just walking into my house whenever you feel like it?" I glared up at him. I didn't really mind him being in my house, but it was the principal of the thing.

"I wanted to surprise you." He shrugged and then held out a hand to me.

"Surprise me?" I took his hand and stepped into the house.

He bent and kissed each of my cheeks before taking my purse from me. I didn't know what he had in store. If there was anyone who was capable of surprising me, it was Eric. Unfortunately, his surprises rarely ever meant good things for me.

"Don't worry, dear one, this won't hurt a bit." He promised me with a fang-filled smile.

"You're not taking my blood." I said before I could stop myself.

"Not until you ask me to, that is."

"That's not going to happen, so you might as well put those away." I pointed back and forth between his fangs.

He pouted just for a moment before his fangs slid back into his mouth. He said nothing else. He simply turned and started walking. I began to follow him, but then he stopped short. He turned to face me and we were just inches apart. He looked down at me while I looked up at him. My breath caught in my throat.

"We also need to discuss what happened at Rhodes." Eric said, and that just put a total damper on any light-hearted banter that might have continued.

"I don't want to talk about Rhodes. I did what I did and it's done. You don't need to thank me, and I don't expect any favors or any of that silly vampire debt to be paid to me for services rendered. I simply did for you what I would have done for anyone." I said quickly because I wanted to get it over with. I wasn't any more comfortable with Eric feeling like he owed me than I was feeling like I owed him.

"Except for Andre, of course." Eric winked at me.

"How did you..."

"I have excellent hearing, Sookie." He smiled and then reached out to remove the elastic band from my hair. "You should go shower."

"With you in the house? Not likely." I shook my head.

"Why not? I can keep my hands to myself. Unless I have showered with you before, and you are hoping for a repeat performance?" He suggested. The bond told me he was hoping, but he was also uncertain. He wanted answers.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" I teased.

"You know I would."

"Well, when's your birthday, Eric? Maybe I'll tell you all about it." I couldn't help myself.

"It could be today for all I know. Birthdays weren't marked the way they are today." The longevity of his life showed in his eyes for just a moment.

I never saw Eric as an old man in spite of his thousand plus years. He was so old, in fact, that he couldn't even tell me how old he was. He just didn't know. The passage of time was just too much. But the mention of birthdays made me wonder if he had come to celebrate mine. I couldn't recall ever telling him when my birthday was, but like he said, he had excellent hearing.

"I promise to keep my hands, eyes and fangs all to myself." He swore to me and I knew he would keep his word.

"Fine. I'll go shower." I said and trudged off to my bedroom. I would have to forgo my bath until the next night.

Spending time with Eric in a fun way would be something different. I had certainly never done that before. Not without the premise of some sort of job hanging over my head. Eric and I weren't the sort of 'friends' who called each other to shoot the breeze or catch up on the gossip. We didn't meet up for drinks or go to football games together. If Eric and I weren't soon to be in a life or death situation, we steered clear of one another. I started to wonder if the life and death situations were a result of our unions, or if our unions were a result of those situations. I decided it didn't matter.

I emerged from my bedroom some time later with my hair hanging damp down my back and my body clad in a tiny pair of shorts and an equally tiny tank top. I didn't have air conditioning, and it was hotter than Satan's sauna outside in spite of the late our. The humidity was the killer. Not even a good thunderstorm was going to help very much. I knew it would be one of those nights when no matter what I did, I would always feel a layer of dampness on my skin. I would wake up feeling slimy and salty. I would need to take another shower.

I had a comb in my hand and found Eric sitting on my couch. He was stock still with closed eyes. I got the feeling he had gone into downtime while he was waiting for me. The second he heard me approaching, his eyes popped open again. He smiled when he saw me.

"You are always breath taking, dear one, but never more so when the sun has spent hours kissing your skin." Eric complimented me.

I wanted to roll my eyes, but that would have been impolite. "Thank you."

"Sit." He patted the couch beside me.

"Eric, not that I'm offended that you came by, but is there a purpose to your visit?" I was dreading what he was going to tell me. Things were so calm and quiet. I was enjoying my break from the Supernatural World and all the crazy hoops I found myself jumping through for them.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, there is a purpose to my visit." He reached over the arm of the couch and produced a small gift bag. "I realize it is late, but you weren't here when I arrived on the proper date. Happy birthday, Sookie."

I froze for a second. Leave it to Eric to come through for me. I felt tears well in my eyes. I dropped the comb in my lap and reached for the bag he offered me. Then there was more dread because knowing Eric, he went and did something extravagant that would make me more angry at him than it would appreciative. He always meant well, but he had a tendency to do too much. I guess we had that in common, too. We didn't always know when enough was enough. Huh.

I pulled the tissue paper from the bag and found the card tucked inside. I opened it slowly, trying to ignore the way he was watching me. Just breathing around him was difficult at that moment. Not just because my hormones always seemed to go into overdrive when his body got so close to mine, but because I felt a little extra sweetness for him for remembering. Even if he didn't remember, he'd gone to the trouble of finding out. That meant something to me.

I got the envelope open and pulled out the card. It was a card just like the other ones he had written notes to me on before with the various things he'd had delivered to me or the services he'd paid for. I flipped the card open and out fluttered a little piece of paper. The paper landed on the floor and I bent to retrieve it. I looked up to see Eric staring at the bounty of cleavage forced out of my tank top.

"Looks like I just got a thank you gift." Eric smirked at me.

I felt myself blush, which was ridiculous considering how many times Eric saw me naked not so long ago. I picked up the piece of paper and turned it over in my hand to find that it was a suggestive photo of him sprawled out on a bed, completely naked with the exception of a few pieces of white fur in strategic places. I made some sort of choked noise and then turned about as red as a girl can turn.

"What is this?" I managed to get the words out.

"You don't like it?" Eric might have looked offended if it weren't for the blood bond ratting me out.

"I didn't say that." I could have lied, but it would have been pointless to do so. "I just didn't realize we were at the point where we exchanged these sorts of photos with one another."

"I would love to have a photo like this of you." Eric's eyebrows danced wickedly.

"I bet you would." I rolled my eyes and he laughed.

"This is one of the test shots for the calendar we are producing." Eric explained to me, glancing over to admire himself. I rolled my eyes again.

"Well, if all of your shots came out like this, I'm sure you'll have a bestseller on your hands." I acknowledged and then put the picture back into the card which then went back into the envelope.

"You should frame that." Eric suggested to me and I giggled.

"Oh sure. I could put it right up there on my fireplace." I pointed over my shoulder.

"I was thinking your night stand." Eric's lips were suddenly very close to my ear.

I snickered. "How about you get me a life-size cut out and I'll stand it in the corner?" I immediately wanted to kick myself for even suggesting such a thing. I had no doubt what would be arriving in less than a week's time. Me and my big mouth.

"If you are going to have me in your bedroom, I would really prefer it be the real thing." His voice had taken on a husky rasp that made my lady business pay attention. "There's more in the bag."

I cleared my throat, hoping that would somehow put out the fire that seemed to light itself between my legs. I dug into the bag while taking slow deep breaths. I found a long black box inside. It was velvety which told me there was most likely something expensive nestled in that box. I looked at Eric with eyes that told him he shouldn't have.

"Open it." He insisted.

I sighed and opened the box. Much to my surprise, it contained a pen. "A pen?" I pulled the pen from the box.

"Yes." Eric took the pen from me and opened it to reveal a felt tip to it.

"You got me a marker?" I asked incredulously.

"Yes." Eric repeated and then leaned in close to me. "Turn around, Sookie." His mouth was near my ear again.

"You aren't going to write on me, are you?"

"Of course not. Well, not really." Oh that was reassuring. "Do you trust me?"

Oh how I've had that debate many, many times in my own head. It was funny how I trusted him with my life, but not my heart. Did I trust him not to draw all over me like that time Ross and Rachel flew to Las Vegas? Yes, absolutely.

"I trust you." I said and then turned my back to him slowly.

Seconds later I felt the tip of the pen against my back, moving quickly. I was going to protest that he had just promised not to write on me when he said, "All done. You can look now."

I turned back to find that Eric had used my second present to autograph my first. I couldn't help but laugh. Eric's present had managed to make me uncomfortable without costing an arm and a leg. Well, maybe it had, but not in the way it normally did. I stared closely at the picture for a few moments.

"So how was your birthday?" Eric asked me.

"Boring." I admitted. I didn't want to tell him he was the only one who had remembered it at all. I didn't want to seem like I was whining or complaining. Self-pity never got me anywhere good. "But I'm okay with that. I've had plenty of excitement to last me a while."

"Yes, I suppose you have." Eric nodded.

In the last year I'd housed a cursed vampire, fought in a supernatural war, survived a house fire, got attacked my a rogue vampire, almost got killed be a a different vampire, got attacked by a newborn vampire in New Orleans, witnessed a murder, survived the fight between Sophie-Anne's vampires and Peter Threadgill's vampires, got kidnapped, got attacked by some hired weres who were supposed to kill me, forced into a blood bond, almost got blown up in Rhodes not once but twice, and through it all, Eric was there for it.

"Can I ask you something?" I wasn't sure I wanted the answer to this question, but my curiosity got the better of me.

"You just did." He teased and I tilted my head to show him I was serious. "Of course you may. You may ask me anything."

That was a dangerous proposition, and one I wasn't going to cash in on just yet. Eric could be a little more truthful than I liked sometimes, and it usually wasn't when I wanted him to be.

"Why do you put up with me?"

"Put up with you?"

"It seems like every time you get near me you end up almost dead or in some sort of trouble. Why do you keep coming back?"

"Why do you?" Eric looked me in the eyes, and I figured maybe our reasons were the same. "You didn't have to save my life in Rhodes. You could have died in that building, and yet you were determined to get me out. Not just me, but Pam as well."

I sighed, not wanting to talk about Rhodes anymore. "Eric..."

"I come for you because I value you in many ways, Sookie, and my life would be much more dull if you weren't in it any more." That was honest enough. "Not to mention, I would very much like to fuck you and remember it." Now _that_ was honest. It made me laugh.

If anyone else said something like that to me, they'd get slapped. But Eric and I seemed to have fallen into a game of cat and mouse we didn't seem to know how to end. More accurately, I wasn't sure I could end. If given the green light, Eric would end it in a second and I had no doubt how it would end. Being caught by my tail would be the least of my worries.

"You know, sometimes I think I'd like that, too." I confessed. I was only half teasing when I said that. Mistake number two of the night.

"I have one more thing for you, but you must close your eyes." Eric instructed.

"If I open my eyes and you're naked, we're going to have some real problems here." I warned him when my eyes were closed. I got no response. "Eric?"

"Keep them closed!" He called from somewhere else in my house. It sounded like the kitchen, but it could have been the dining room. I hadn't heard him move, but he was obviously gone.

The next thing I knew I was being lifted up off the couch. His shoulders were bare, but I could feel his jeans against my feet. I breathed a sigh of relief. If I had opened my eyes to find him naked I was pretty sure I wouldn't have been able to fight off any advances he threw my way. I kept my eyes closed and then felt myself being positioned onto something cool and hard. It was wood. Did Eric put me on the floor? I heard a familiar creaking and then saw the flickering of light behind my closed lids.

"Open your eyes." Eric instructed.

We were sitting on my dining room table with a pink and white cake between us. Two candles in the shape of a two and a seven were lit, sending little flickering lights to dance on our faces. My mouth hung open for a moment, and the prospect of Eric singing to me was more than I could take.

"I believe it is customary to make a wish." Eric looked right at me.

"You aren't going to sing?" I smiled at him with tears in my eyes.

"Why are you crying?" Eric asked when a tear escaped my right eye. He reached out and caught it on his index finger.

"This is the nicest thing anyone has done for me in a very long time." I said with a voice that wouldn't stop cracking.

He looked disturbed by this information. To Eric, this was obviously something less than I deserved, and the fact that it made me so happy was confusing to him. But I was a simple woman with simple tastes. He knew that when he chose his gift for me. He also knew it would make me squirm, but that's just Eric being Eric.

"Happy birthday, Sookie." He said again and when I leaned over to blow out the candles on my cake, his lips met mine.

I felt the same tingle in my spine that I always felt when he kissed me, and he'd done that quite a bit in the last year. I hadn't pushed him away or asked him not to, but I hadn't invited that sort of attention either. It just felt natural after all the things we had been through. But after a few seconds the kiss took on a life of its own and I almost put my hand in the cake so I could lean into him. But rather than starting something I couldn't finish, I broke away.

"Thank you, Eric." I smiled at him.

He looked disappointed for just a moment, but then took note of the genuine smile on my face. No matter what we did, we would always end up back at the same place. I ran a finger through the frosting and then licked my finger. It was a bold move to make in front of a lusty vampire, but I couldn't help my self. Apparently Eric couldn't either, since he pulled me into another kiss. The second one didn't last as long as the first.

"Sweet." His eyes closed as if he had just tasted a little bit of heaven.

I knew I had, and the frosting had nothing to do with it.


	2. Don't You Forget About Me

Much like I thought, a life-size cut out of Eric in a different pose arrived at my house a week later. I shook my head in disbelief all the same. What the hell was I going to do with a 6'5" piece of cardboard with a very naked Viking on it? I contemplated putting it up for sale on e-bay, but I could only imagine the inflation of Eric's ego when he found out about it. Not to mention the bidding war that was likely to break out. Of course, I could always put the money toward some charity, but I had what I assumed was a one of a kind collector's item stashed behind my dresser. There was something to be said for keeping it to myself.

It seems crazy to keep it there where no one could see it, but the idea of a life-size naked Eric staring at me all day was a bit overwhelming. The cut out came with a note attached to the back of it.

iDear One,

Your wish is my command.

E/i

I would have to remember to tell Eric the difference between a wish and a joke later. He obviously never got the memo. I would also have to remember to watch what I said around him in the future. No sooner had the sun set that night than I got a phone call from someone at Fangtasia. I was relaxing on my couch with a book when the phone rang.

"Hello?" I didn't know for sure who was calling, and for all I knew it was Pam calling to speak with Amelia.

"Hello, Sookie." Eric's silky voice greeted me.

"Hello, Eric." I answered, hoping he couldn't hear the spike in hormones.

"Did you receive my gift?" He knew damn well I did.

"I did, and it's all set up in my bedroom, thank you." He didn't need to know that it was behind my dresser, hidden by the mirror attached to it.

"I will honor my word, Sookie. Any time you decide you would prefer the real thing..."

He had a way of making my insides turn to jelly and my throat go completely dry. "I'm good, thanks."

"Pity." He said sadly and then continued. "Are you busy this evening?"

I froze. I wasn't planning on going anywhere. For once, the weather wasn't completely unbarable. I just wanted to chill out and read my book on my night off. I was in dire need of some time to myself.

"I am."

"What would it take to persuade you to change your plans?"

"Just spit it out, Eric. What do you want?" There was a harsher tone to my voice than I had intended, but I knew Eric could be relentless in his pursuits when he wanted something. If he dug his heels in, I might as well wave my flag early on.

"There is a meeting this evening at Fangtasia I would very much like for you to attend." Eric informed me.

"What kind of meeting?"

"You'll find out when you arrive."

"Why can't you just tell me over the phone?"

"If I told you over the phone, what good would it do for you to come to Shreveport?"

"Are you sure you don't just want to spend time with me?" That was dangerously close to flirting.

"That could be arranged, if it's what you would like." Eric countered, turning the tables on me.

I snickered and said, "Oh, I've spent plenty of time with you today."

He laughed on the other end of the line. "Well, for what it's worth, I promise to be fully clothed this evening. If only for your benefit, that is."

I sighed, knowing there was very little chance I was going to be able to escape this. "What time?"

"Ten." I could almost hear the smile in Eric's voice.

"Fine. I'll be there." I gave up a little too easily, I know, but I wasn't in the mood to spar with Eric.

"I will see you then, dear one." He promised and then hung up the phone.

I dropped the phone on the coffee table and then went to my bedroom to change. As much as Eric would like it, there was no way I was wearing a tube top and tiny shorts to the bar. No sir.

o.O.o.O.o

After much debate I settled on a pair of brown shorts and a pale pink tank top. I let my hair down so it fell in long waves. I slipped into a pair of leather sandals and headed toward the bar. I arrived with ten minutes to spare. The bar was open for business, which I found odd. Usually if Eric was having some big meeting of the minds the bar was closed, or at least the opening was delayed some. I started to feel like I was walking into a trap until I realized Pam wasn't at the door. I didn't recognize the vampire at the door, but he certainly seemed to know me.

"Go on in, Miss Stackhouse. The Master is waiting for you." The vampire nodded to me.

"Thank you." I would have smiled, but I was wondering how he knew who I was. I hadn't been to Fangtasia since before the trip to Rhodes, and this vampire certainly hadn't been there.

I walked into the bar and was almost immediately accosted by Pam. Her cool arm slid around my shoulders, and for a second I thought she might actually hug me. She fell into step beside me as we walked toward Eric's office.

"Hello, my little telepathic friend. It has been too long since we've seen one another." Pam greeted me as warmly as Pam could greet anyone.

"You're looking well, Pam." I smiled over at her.

"Thank you. It took a little longer than I would have liked, but my foot is finally back the way it should be. You, on the other hand, look good enough to eat." She motioned for me to turn around after removing her arm from my shoulders.

I turned slowly, slightly nervous about what the hell was going on. Amazingly, I heard thunder rumble over the bass of the music playing in the bar. That couldn't be a good sign. I'd smelled rain in the air on my way in. I pulled my cell phone from my purse and sent Amelia a text message asking her to close the windows in the house if it started to rain, since I'd left them wide open with no anticipation of a storm.

"So, Pam, do you have any idea what this meeting is about tonight?" I asked as we walked through the employee only door that led to Eric's office.

"Eric hasn't said, but I'm sure it'll be great fun." Pam grinned at me.

"That's what Eric's known for." I nodded and hoped she noted the sarcasm in my voice.

"If he wasn't, you would not have received the gift he sent you today." Pam winked at me.

I think I turned eight shades of red. "He told you about that?"

"Who do you think helped him select the photograph?" Pam nudged me.

"Wonderful." I sighed.

"Lighten up, Sookie." She advised and then opened the door to Eric's office.

I was surprised to see Bill and Alcide sitting there. Nothing like being in a room with three men you've had some sort of romantic relationship with at one time or another. Well, I guess technically I hadn't had that with Alcide, exactly, but there had been feelings. I also knew I had definitely been set up for something. I stopped where I stood just inside the doorway, and I wasn't sure who I wanted to yell at more. In the end, I settled for staring daggers at Eric, since he was the one who lured me to the bar in the first place.

"Hello, Sookie." The three men all said at the same time.

Only Eric got up to give me a hug. A hug. Yeah, that's right. Eric ihugged/i me. I might have seen it as a friendly gesture if it weren't for the present company. I saw Pam roll her eyes across the room. She had taken a stance near Eric's desk. Bill and Alcide occupied the two chairs in front of Eric's desk. That left me with the whole sofa to myself. I was thankful for that. I pushed away from Eric.

"Thank you for coming, Sookie." Eric kissed my cheek, and I could have strangled him right then and there if I thought it would do me any good.

"So, what's the pow wow about?" I took a seat on the couch, not really wanting to sit around and chit chat with my ex-boyfriend, almost was boyfriend and a lover who didn't remember loving me.

"Alcide, the floor is yours." Eric gestured and I turned my attention to Alcide.

I was still a little peeved at him for the way he handled the pack master ceremony a while back. Maybe it was silly to hold a grudge, but I was doing him a favor in good faith. I didn't think full disclosure was out of line. Sadly, Alcide wasn't the first supe to only give me a partially painted picture of what was going on. I stole a glance at Eric, who was staring right at me. Wonderful.

"After much debate amongst the Were and Shifter communities we have decided it's time to unveil ourselves." Alcide announced. None of the vampires seemed shocked or impressed with this bit of information. "I am here tonight as a representative of the Longtooth Pack to ask for your assistance in this matter. We are planning to shift publicly in the near future, and we thought it might be helpful if we had a little muscle from the vampire community to make sure things run smoothly."

Again, the vampires didn't speak or change their expressions. I cleared my throat and everyone stared at me. "What does this have to do with me, exactly?" I was just a telepath, and I certainly wasn't going to unveil myself to the general public. It was bad enough that the vamps and weres knew I existed.

"I was hoping that you would be willing to speak with Sam about allowing some of our pack members to change there. I know the Hot Shot panthers have spoken to Sam, and he has been agreeable with Calvin. Since you and I have history, though, I wasn't sure how he would feel about it." Alcide looked a little guilty, as he damn well should.

"Sam's a big boy, Alcide. While I'm happy to hear y'all have decided it's time to come out, I really don't want to get involved in anymore supernatural shit." I stared hard at him and then at Eric. Eric smirked behind his desk, and I heard a quiet laugh from Pam. Bill remained expressionless. "If all you're asking for is a conversation, I can do that. Beyond that, you're on your own."

Alcide smiled at me. "That's all I want, Sookie, I swear."

I sighed and said, "Fine. If that's all you need from me, then I'll be going." I stood up to go, but Eric stopped me.

"Sookie, there is something else I need to discuss with you before you leave."

I sat back down in a huff and crossed my arms under my breasts. Bill was staring at me in a way that made me uncomfortable, and I started to wish I had stood closer to Eric. Bill wouldn't be so glued to me if he had Eric in his peripheral vision when he stared at me. To make matters worse, I could feel Eric's desire rolling through our bond. Talk about your uncomfortable silences.

I sat quietly while Alcide continued to go over the plans for what the Weres and Shifters were calling the Great Reveal (how original, might I add). It sounded like a simple enough plan. It just required a lot of coordination with the various packs. In the end, Alcide left with Eric's pledge to help with the Reveal. Bill didn't look too happy about the whole thing, but he kept his mouth shut.

"You are dismissed." Eric waved off Pam and Bill.

Pam winked at me and then headed for the door of the bar. Bill was a bit slower to go and smiled at me. Eric pulled some of that ridiculous vampire possessive shit and growled at Bill. Bill put a little pep in his step and got going. I just sat there and stared at Eric.

"What do you want now, Eric?" I sighed.

"You are hostile to me this evening, Sookie. Have I done something to offend you? I would have thought my gift would put you in better spirits." His smile was dazzling. Normally I would have smiled in return, but I wasn't in the mood. I was pissed off at Alcide for bringing me into this mess, and I was pissed off at Eric for not warning me that I was walking into a hornets' nest.

"You should have told me Alcide and Bill were going to be here." I spat at him.

"You wouldn't have come if I had." He was right about that.

"So what does that tell you, Eric? You might enjoy dangling me in front of Bill, but I don't think it's amusing or nice. I'm still mad at Alcide for the stunt he pulled with the pack master challenge. I don't want to get involved with their business! I don't want to get involved with iyour/i business, but I'm bonded to you so it's not like I have a choice." I was starting to feel sorry for myself and I decided I had to nip that in the bud. It wouldn't do me any good.

Thunder roared overhead. It was so lound I heard the building shake. Power flickered and the lights danced above us. On the bright side, if the lights went out, at least I was with Eric. On the downside, I would be with Eric. There was no telling what sort of funny business he would be up to in a dark room, but I had a pretty good idea of where he'd like to start.

"Come with me, Sookie." Eric was up and around his desk in front of me before I could blink. He held out a hand to me to help me up and I took it.

"Eric, I don't want to go sit in the bar." I whined. What the hell was wrong with me? I was starting to sound annoying even to myself.

"We are not going to sit in the bar. There is something I want to show you." Eric gave me a mischeivous grin.

He opened the door to his office and led me across the hall to another door. He punched in a few numbers on what appeared to be a security panel, and then turned the handle on the door. It appeared to be a store room. There was all sorts of Fangtasia merchandise piled all over the place. There were things in there I had never seen before, and I figured it was either prototypes for new items or things that hadn't sold well in the past.

"Fascinating." I rolled my eyes. When did I switch personalities with Pam.

The door closed behind us with a soft clicking sound. I looked around the room at the various items so neatly organized and piled up. I stopped short when I saw Fangtasia beach towels. I shook my head in disbelief. Pam had to have come up with that. Then I saw the bikinis and I had to stifle a laugh. Eric and Pam were nothing if not thorough in their marketing endeavors.

"So what did you want to show me, Eric?" I leaned against some shelves while he began digging through a box for whatever it was he was looking for.

"Be patient, Sookie." He said gently, though I could feel his aggitation at not being able to find what he wanted right away.

I was about to comment on a poster of Thalia that was hanging on the wall when the lights went out. Not only did the lights go out, but so did the music in the bar. Shit. I stood up completely straight. It was pitch black in the closet.

"Eric?" I squeaked out.

"I am here." I felt his hand on my shoulder. It was cool, but reassuring. He was trying to send me calm through our bond.

"Don't do that!" I slapped at his hand.

"I cannot touch your shoulder?" I could just barely make out the whites of his eyes as my own eyes adjusted to the darkness.

"Don't play with my feelings." I said and then I could see the glistening of Eric's very sharp teeth.

"I wouldn't dream of it, dear one." He kissed my forehead.

"Can you please get the door open so I can go home? I can't see anything in here."

"I can see just fine." Eric wasn't quite bragging, but darn close to it.

"Well good for you." I muttered.

"Unfortunately, I will not be able to get the door open." Eric said this casually as if he was telling me what time it was.

"Excuse me?"

"The door is electronic. Until the power comes back on, we are stuck." Eric was cool as a cucumber. Eric also didn't need to worry about using the bathroom or this pesky thing called oxygen that us mere mortals need in order to survive. "Don't panic, Sookie, we will be fine. It is just a storm. It will pass and the power will return."

"Easy for you to say." I muttered and felt my way around the room, hoping to find a chair or something to sit on.

"Here." Eric handed me a few of the towels I had been eying when we first walked in.

"Thank you." I unfolded one and sat down on the floor. It was surprisingly clean for a room I doubt anyone was in very often, or for very long.

Eric took a seat next to me. We were quiet for a while. He kept his hands to himself. I sighed and closed my eyes. When I opened them again my forehead was pressed to Eric's shoulder. I looked up to see his eyes closed. He was in downtime. I sat up and his eyes immediately opened. I stretched and wondered how long we had been in the room.

"My cell phone!" I could have knocked my head against the wall. Why didn't I think of that sooner?

"Sookie, even if you call Pam, she will not be able to get us out. The door is reinforce with silver and steel in addition to being electronic. We will just have to wait until the power comes back." Eric was up and pacing.

"I just want to know what time it is." I argued with him and opened my phone. It was just after midnight. We'd been in the closet for a little over an hour.

It was strange to hear the bar so silent. I dropped my shields to see who else was in the building. It was just Eric and me. Eric's rapid back and forth movements were starting to make me dizzy.

"Could you stop that, or at least slow down?" I put a hand to my stomach.

Eric slowed his pace but continued to walk. I could feel his unease with being trapped in this box. I wondered how long it would be before he tried to punch his way through a wall. I was sure if anyone could do it, it would be Eric.

I was thankful I had charged my phone earlier. I activated the flashlight function on it and began to look around at the various items stashed away in the closet with us. I found what appeared to be gummy candies of some sort and couldn't help but laugh.

"You sold little candy coffins?"

Eric smirked at me. "It was one of Pam's ideas."

"Are all the flops Pam's ideas?" I arched an eyebrow in his direction.

"Not all of them." Eric admitted and then went searching for something. "What do you think of this?" Eric handed me a small box.

I held my phone up to it so I could see it. It was a box of playing cards. "Cards? They could be good." I shrugged.

"Open them." Eric encouraged with that same mischievous grin I had been treated to earlier.

I hesistated for a moment before opening the box. I pulled the cards out to find that they had the Fangtasia logo on the back and then the face cards featured different vampires. Eric was the king, of course, and Pam was the queen. I didn't recognize the other vampires on the face cards, but just seeing the picture of Eric on the king card was more than enough for me.

"You really have no trouble being naked in front of a camera, do you?" I rolled my eyes and put the cards back.

"Why should I?" Eric said with all the confidence in the world. Eric would never win prizes for modesty, that was for sure.

"I think they'll sell very well." I handed the box back to him.

"Keep it." He didn't take the box back. I set it on the floor.

"Is that what you brought me in here to show me?" I pulled my knees closer to my chest. It was starting to get stuffy and cold in the room at the same time.

"No, but I can't seem to find it." Eric sat in front of me. "Are you cold?"

"I'm fine."

Eric unfolded another towel and draped it over me. "I wouldn't want you to get sick."

I was running out of things to say to him. Well, that's not entirely true. There were probably lots of things Eric and I should talk about, but none I was willing to bring up. It was only a matter of time before Eric found a topic. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out what it would be.

"I am bored." He announced.

"We could play cards?" I suggested.

"Strip poker." Eric grinned at me and I laughed.

"I was thinking Go Fish."

"Strip Go Fish." Eric suggested and I rolled my eyes.

"You're terrible."

"We are alone in the dark, Sookie." His voice lowered to the tone that made the hair on my arms and neck stand up.

"Yes, we are." I agreed and fidgeted under the cover of my towel.

"I want to have sex with you." Eric said without delay and I snickered.

"Well, I know that." I couldn't help but laugh.

"I am serious." Eric moved closer to me.

"Yes, Eric, I know you're serious." I tried to push him back a little bit, but that was a futile effort.

"Would it make you happy if we were not bonded anymore?" Eric asked for the second time in a week.

"I already told you how I feel about that." I sniffled. There were benefits to being bonded to Eric. I knew he would protect me no matter what. He'd made that much clear to me in the past. He wouldn't just disappear from my life if we weren't bonded anymore. But I also knew that by being bonded it was much harder for the other supes to mess with me without Eric getting involved.

"You use it as a crutch." Eric said in a tone of annoyance.

"Excuse me?"

"You blame things on the bond, Sookie. The things you do not want to accept as real you say are because of the bond. I do not force you to feel anything for me. You feel what I feel because of the bond, but I do not make you feel the same way."

"How do I know that?"

"Because if I had just lied to you, you would feel the deception." Eric pointed out. He was right again. "Did I lie to you?"

"No." I whispered.

"Then there you go." He was smiling, but it wasn't smug. He was trying to help.

I wanted to be alone, but that wasn't going to happen. I was trapped in the closet with Eric until whenever the power came back on. I used the towel to mop of the tears that had fallen and then I rested my head against the wall and closed my eyes. I didn't want to talk anymore.

Without a word he bent and kissed me. I panicked for just a second, but he didn't pull away. I didn't either and before I knew it, he'd pulled the towel away from me that I'd been huddling under. I found myself laying on top of him, his lust not only coursing its way through our bond but poking my thigh. I rubbed up against him and he groaned.

"I have waited so long for this, lover." His voice was deep laced with desire.

"You called me that when you were cursed." I felt my heart throb at the memory of it. I hadn't realized how much I missed it until just that moment.

"I would be delighted to call you that again." He tugged at my shirt, pulling it up my body.

I moved my arms so he could get if off me. Once it was safely discarded he went after the hooks on my bra. It's strange to feel his hands on me again, only because it's like they never left. I found myself locked in that eternal debate between my head and my heart. My head said I was being foolish and letting myself get sucked into something I had no business getting sucked into. A real relationship with Eric wasn't possible. He was immortal, and some day my body was going to give out on me. His interest in me would wane, and I would find myself broken.

My heart, on the other hand, ached for him. My heart and my body wanted him so badly, and were very close to telling my brain to take a smoke break or something. I decided right then and there to stop focusing on my thoughts and focus on Eric's quick moving hands. They were everywhere and it felt like they were everywhere all at once.

I had gotten so lost in my own head that I hadn't noticed we were sitting up or that he had removed his shirt as well. His fangs dragged down the length of my neck and I felt a shiver run up my spine, sending goose bumps out to patrol in its wake. His fingers nestled into my hair, moving my head one way or the other. I felt his lips against the pulse point in my throat and I had to restrain myself from telling him to bite me.

"All good things to those who wait." Eric voice was low and dripping with sex.

I made a slight choking sound at that and felt my hips moving against him of their own accord. My brain went all fuzzy, finally taking the hint from my heart and my body to just zip it and stay quiet. I don't remember how my clothes came off, but they did. We rolled around on the spread out towels, kissing and touching each other until we couldn't take anymore.

"Eric," I pleaded, our eyes locking on one another's in the darkness.

He kissed the tip of my nose so gently I barely felt it. He smoothed my hair away from my face as he positioned himself between my shaking legs. I missed him. God, how I'd missed him. I felt him pressed against me, ready to enter.

"Are you sure about this, my lover?" He whispered to me.

I couldn't go back now. I wanted him too badly. I nodded slowly as my hands moved down his back. I held my breath and pushed him into me. My eyes widened as my body stretched. His lips found mine and for a moment either of us could move. We just laid there staring at one another. We were about as connected as two people could get, and somehow, it still wasn't enough.

"Eric, please, you have to move." I panted, my thighs gripping his waist tightly.

He did as I asked, moving so incredibly slow. I couldn't quit read what was in his eyes. There were too many emotions swirling back and forth between us. I urged him to move faster. The slowness of it was killing me with its intensity. It reminded me too much of the other Eric, the Eric that wasn't quite real. I wanted the Viking. I wanted the force and the power. I wanted to feel all the things I hadn't when he was cursed. I wanted him to remember this.

"Faster, Eric." I groaned underneath him.

He came back into himself, as if he had been somewhere else for a few moments. It was like he realized where he was and what he was doing. The animal I knew that lived in him roared to life. His hips moved much faster and I did my best to keep up with him. It didn't take long before I felt myself hovering at the edge of something wonderful. I was just about to tell Eric to bite me when I felt his fangs plunge into my breast.

I cried out as my orgasm ripped through me- ripped through ius/i. His body jerked on top of mine as he pulled his mouth from my breast. His lips were still a little bloody when he kissed me, but I didn't care. I broke the kiss and quickly moved to bite his neck in return. He shouted out something in that language he'd spoken the last time we'd made love. I felt the rush of his blood in the back of my throat as he shuddered and released inside me.

My blood pounded through my body, taking Eric's along for the ride. He collapsed on top of me, careful not to press me too firmly against the ground under his weight. I stroked his back while I tried to catch my breath.

Eventually he lifted his head and looked deep into my eyes. I tried to find words but none would come to me. His lips crashed against mine, kissing me for all he was worth. I couldn't help but kiss him back. He rolled onto the cold concrete floor and pulled me on top of him. When I shivered her pulled one of the towels up to cover me with it. He help my face in his hands with the most amazed expression on his face.

"Good, huh?" I tried to make a joke or at least lighten the mood a little bit.

"Perfect." He corrected me with a tone I couldn't quite describe. He pulled my face to his and feathered kisses everywhere he could. "Sookie, I remember everything."

Then the lights came back on.


	3. Please Let Me Get What I Want

**A/N:** I just wanted to take a quick second to thank everyone who has reviewed/favorited/alerted this story so far. The response has been a bit overwhelming and I really do appreciate everyone taking the time to read this. I feel like I should also warn you that I am very fond of cliffhangers, so should I post more multi-chapter work here you will be seeing lots of those. Don't say you weren't warned. This chapter is courtesy of **Pretty In Pink** and is pretty high on the angst meter. Let's see what these crazy kids get into next....

* * *

"_This is an incredibly romantic moment, and you're ruining it for me!"_

_-Pretty In Pink_

**Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want**

What was I supposed to say? After months and months of being the only one to know our full history, Eric suddenly knew it all, too. He was right there with me. In fact, he was still inside of me when he made the revelation. My heart clenched. My breathing picked up and my brain came back from its coffee break ready to kick some ass.

"You knew all this time and you didn't tell me?" Of course my mind went right to thinking the worst.

I shifted my body and wrapped the towel around me as I stood up. I couldn't believe this. I was such an idiot!

"No, Sookie, I didn't know it until just a few minutes ago. Being so close to you made me remember. Smelling your skin and the way you make me feel when we-"

"Stop!" I held up a hand. I couldn't hear anymore. "Get me out of here." I ordered as I started to gather up my clothes.

"Sookie, we should discuss this." Eric's voice had a hard edge.

"What's there to discuss, Eric? We had sex. We said a lot of things to one another. It doesn't change anything." I said as I yanked on my underwear and shorts.

"It changes everything." He was on his feet and staring hard at me.

I didn't say anything. There was nothing I could say. I put on the rest of my clothes and stood by the door. Eric didn't seem to be moving. He was determined for us to have it out.

"If you won't let me out yourself, then I'll call Pam." I threatened with blazing eyes.

"You think I am being dishonest with you."

"I think you are very good at manipulating me to get what you want from me, Eric. I think you will do anything to get what you want. I'm tired of being toyed with and no one asking me what I want. What good is it going to do to rehash the past? It's not going to put us in a different position than we are now. You're still going to be the sheriff of area five and I'm still just some stupid telepath who keeps getting herself involved in your vampire shit." I was being unreasonable. I knew that on some level.

"Is that really all you think of what has happened between us, Sookie?"

"I think I let my body get the better of me."

That was sort of like hitting below the belt and I knew it. I could see the disappointment in Eric's eyes as clearly as I could feel it in our bond. I didn't like hurting him, but the idea that he had been hiding the truth from me wouldn't allow me to be kind to him in those moments. Maybe it was childish, but I was holding onto my anger.

Eric stared hard at me, trying to figure out what was going through my head. I wouldn't meet his eyes. I couldn't. It hurt too much to look at him. He dressed quickly and then opened the door. He didn't say anything as I stomped out into the hall. I went to his office to retrieve my purse. He didn't call out to me when I marched out the back door of the bar.

In fact, I didn't hear from him at all.

* * *

Sam was buzzing with excitement. It was the night of the Big Reveal for the weres and shifters. My brother and Calvin Norris were sitting together in a booth. Crystal wasn't coming on account of her pregnancy and all that. Not that I really wanted to see her. I still couldn't believe my brother married her, but that wasn't really any of my business. Besides, what was done, was done. There was no going back on it now.

"How're you doing, Sam?" I patted his shoulder as I walked up to the bar.

"I'm so excited, Sookie. I really didn't think this day was ever going to come." Sam smiled big at me and then pulled me into a hug.

"I'm happy for you, Sam." I rubbed his back gently just as the door of the bar opened.

I squeezed him once more for good measure when I saw that it was Eric approaching. Ever since our night in the storage closet, Eric had kept his silence. I didn't call him. He didn't call me. There were no gifts or messages. There were no visits. It was almost like we weren't bonded anymore. Only we were.

"I thought Bill was coming here tonight?" Sam asked when he caught sight of Eric.

"I thought so, too." I sighed and picked up my tray.

"I'm not taking that table, Sookie." Arlene came over to the bar.

"I know, Arlene, I know." I looked to Sam who was looking at the floor. "You know, scheduling her to work tonight was probably a mistake."

"Maybe, but I was hoping maybe it would be a good thing. Maybe if she saw that people she knows and loves are something more than human..."

"You know that's not how it's going to go, Sam." I hated to see the disappointment in his eyes. I had to love him a little bit more for his good intentions, though.

He nodded sadly and then said, "You better get over there before Eric burns a hole right through you."

I took a deep breath. "Yeah, I guess I better."

Sam put a hand on my shoulder and gave me a squeeze. He was a good friend. I flashed a sad smile his way and then headed over to the table Eric was sitting at. I was surprised to see he'd come alone. The last time he'd been to Merlotte's was when Pam had come to try and persuade me that Eric hadn't been informed of Bill's treachery. I'd known that all along. Eric was many things, but even he didn't seem capable of hurting me the same way Bill had. Maybe I was wrong about that, given recent events.

"Hello, Eric." I tried to sound friendly and failed miserably.

"Sookie." He kept his eyes on mine.

We just stared at each other for a minute. There were lots of things we needed to say but it was neither the time or the place to air out our dirty laundry. Part of me wanted to apologize for stomping out on Eric like I did. The rational, more adult, Sookie was well aware of her bad manners and had been berating herself since that night. But then there was the side of me that Eric brought out, and I just wanted to hurt him. I don't know why. Eric had this way of being able to bring out the best and the worst in me, and more often than not, it was the worst.

"I thought Bill was coming here tonight?" That was probably the wrong opening line.

"I sent him to Ruston." Eric didn't break eye contact with me.

"Oh." Yep, I was on a roll. "Can I get you anything to drink?"

"Not now. Later, perhaps. I fed before I came." Eric almost leered at me and the choice of words stuck in my craw.

"How nice for you." I gritted my teeth. "I guess I'll be going then."

I turned to go, but Eric caught my wrist. He didn't say anything, but he didn't need to. His index finger stroked the tender flesh on the inside of my wrist and lingered over the pulse point. The bond opened just a little and it told me everything I needed to know. He missed me. Like me, he was too stubborn to say it out loud. I swallowed the lump in my throat and gently eased my arm away.

"Later, Eric." I whispered without looking back at him. I knew if I looked at him, I was done for. I also knew that he would hold me to my word.

* * *

I stood behind the bar where Sam had insisted I stand in case things got ugly. I had no doubt that Eric would be able to handle the small crowd in Merlotte's if things got out of control. Not to offend Bill's abilities as a vampire, but I knew Eric was much stronger and faster. It seemed his services would be better used in a more populated area. There were casinos, bars and clubs all around Shreveport that could have used him.

Of course, the one thing they didn't have that Merlotte's did was me. I stood there behind the bar, watching with wide eyes as Sam, Calvin and Tray Dawnson shifted right in front of me. One minute they were men and the next they were a collie, a panther and a giant wolf. The customers in the bar were clearly shocked to find out that three people they thought they knew so well were, in fact, something more than they thought.

For a moment, I could understand the vampire's contempt for the two natured. Then again, were the vampires really all that different? Eric was a prime example of something with two natures. One minute he could be charming and fun to be with and the next he was a ruthless warrior/predator hunting for his next kill. But then, Eric never made any attempts to hide what he was.

There were a few startled gasps and people pointing and staring. I listened in on a few minds because I simply couldn't help myself. The reactions were mixed. Most people, shockingly enough, were okay about the whole thing. The vampires really had done their part in breaking the ice. Although there were a few people concerned about being mauled by wolves or other creatures late at night.

"They aren't going to hurt you." I said when Tray stalked between tables in wolf form.

As if to prove my point, he licked Shelby Weatherly's hand. She giggled and then patted the top of his head. Alrene, on the other hand, was not so easily convinced and started spouting off about abominations in the eyes of the Lord and how all of this was so unnatural.

"It's supernatural." I nodded and she just glared at me.

"I didn't sign up to work at some shapeshifter bar, Sookie. Merlotte's has always been a respectable place for decent folk to hang out." Arlene glared over in Eric's direction. He wasn't the least bit fazed my Arlene.

"Oh cool your jets, will you? They aren't hurting anyone." I argued with her.

"I would expect that from a vamp humper." Arlene's voice was heavy with disgust.

Before I could say a word Eric was in her face. Arlene fell back against the bar with terror in her eyes. Eric could be quite scary when he put his mind to it. His fangs were out and he looked downright menacing. If I didn't know better, I would be terrified, too.

"You really should be more respectful when you speak to my lover." Eric glared at her with glowing eyes.

"I don't need you fighting my battles for me, Eric." I pushed my way between him and Arlene. "You're here to keep the peace, remember?"

Eric growled at Arlene to prove his point and I felt Arlene shudder behind me. "I will wait outside." Eric said before I could say anything else.

I moved away from Arlene and turned to help her up. "Are you okay?"

"Don't touch me!" She swatted at my hands. "Sam, I'm sorry, but I don't know if I can do this anymore." Arlene untied her apron.

"Arlene, come on!" I pleaded with her.

"No, Sookie." She shook her head. "I have babies to think about!"

Her head was a jumble of all sorts of thoughts. I felt sorry for her, on some level. Poor Arlene didn't know which way was up, but then again, she never had. She was always looking for something to latch onto and it was usually a man. This time, apparently, she had decided it would be Jesus.

Sam shifted back to his human form and I quickly ran to get one of the towels he had behind the bar for after shifting so the men wouldn't have to walk around the bar naked. They didn't mind it, but the customers might. Shifters, much like vampires, didn't seem to be too hung up on nudity. I suppose there wasn't much room for that sort of thing, when I thought about it.

"You did it, Sam." I gave him an approving smile.

"You knew about this?" Arlene looked at me like I had just sold her out to the third reicht, or something equally sinister. "You knew I was working for a _thing_ and you didn't tell me?" She pointed a bony finger at me before turning to Sam. "And you? I thought we were friends! How could you keep this from me all this time? I trust you, Sam."

While there were a few people thinking those very same thoughts, they weren't thinking them for quite the same reasons as Arlene. They weren't feeling nearly as spiteful or irrational as she was. Overall, most people were pretty accepting of the whole thing and those that weren't dropped some cash on their table and walked out quietly.

"Arlene, let's go talk in my office." Sam suggested.

"Nuh-uh. No, I'm done, Sam. I can't do this." Arlene held up her hands to keep Sam away from her.

Sam sighed and hung his head. Arlene shoved past me even though it was completely unnecessary to do such a thing and went to go get her jacket and purse. She didn't bother to say goodnight to anyone. She just stomped out the employee entrance.

"Sookie, can you man the bar for a little bit?" Sam asked me as he gathered his clothes.

"Yeah, sure. Take all the time you need." I gave him a reassuring smile.

Calvin and Tray shifted back to their human form and just like that, the Big Reveal was over.

* * *

Eric remained out in the parking lot for a few hours while he waited for me to finish up my shift. He was leaned against his car when I came outside. He was wearing tight jeans, a black v-neck t-shirt that clung to his ridiculously sculpted body and a leather jacket. He looked precisely like the boys my Gran warned me about in high school and it made my heart flutter.

"Sorry, I thought I'd be done sooner." I apologized lamely as I approached him.

"The redhead quit."

"She's not so comfortable around supes as I am." I shrugged into my jacket.

"She's a close-minded bigot." Eric announced.

I nodded and said, "You're probably right about that." I hated to say it, but it was most likely the truth.

"Can we have a conversation without you running away, Sookie?" Eric looked me dead in the eye.

"I don't know. I can try." I chuckled, but stopped when I noticed Eric saw no humor in my words. "Look, Eric, the thing is, you scare me."

"Why?"

"Because you're powerful. When I'm around you I feel things that I don't feel when I'm by myself. You have this way of seeing me and it..." I trailed off, not sure how to explain myself. "You see me the way I wish I could see myself."

I waited for him to say something, but he was being uncharacteristically quiet. Eric was the one always ready with a comeback or an explanation, even if it wasn't one I wanted to hear. In a single breath he could make me stare daggers at him and swoon at the same time. I don't know how he did it, but he did.

"Doesn't it ever scare you?" I looked up into his eyes.

"What should I be scared of, Sookie?"

"All of it!" I wrapped my arms around myself in the chilly night air. "Eric, I don't know what the bond feels like for you, but sometimes I feel these things and I don't know what's yours or mine, but sometimes it feels like it's _ours_ and it scares the hell out of me."

"What do you feel, dear one?"

"The list of things I don't feel is probably shorter." This got a laugh out of Eric.

"You are a very emotional creature." He acknowledged.

"So are you." I pointed out. I knew that first hand now. "You're just better at hiding it than I am."

"This is true." Eric agreed.

"So what do you propose we do about this?"

"You are my bonded now, Sookie. The things that happened when I was cursed are finally a part of me the way they should have always been. You think your feelings for me are a result of the bond, but you cared for me before that." Eric pointed out.

My days of blaming my feelings for him on the bond were pretty much shot. If I was going to be honest with myself, I knew what I felt. At the moment, it was a great big lump of fear lodging in my throat. Eric grabbed my hand and rubbed the inside of my wrist the way he had in the bar.

"And it doesn't scare you, Eric?" I slowly let my eyes meet his.

"It amazes me, Sookie. A thousand years is more than you can comprehend, my lover. That is a very long time to let your ability to love another lie dormant. There has been no one worthy of it until you came along." Eric lifted my hand and kissed the back of it.

If I didn't know any better I would assume that was just some cheeseball line, but I knew Eric was being serious with me. What was the appropriate response to the words he was saying to me? It almost felt like one of my silly romance novels. You know where clandestined lovers fall into the most passionate embraces and get themselves into these hyper-romantic love affairs that can't possibly last. And if, by some chance they do, you find yourself thinking that isn't the way it happens in real life. No one can ever say those words and mean them, or be that happy and in love. That just doesn't happen.

Only it was happening to me. I don't know about the love part, so much, although I thought maybe that was exactly what Eric was trying to tell me. Did he love me? Had he always loved me and I was just too blind to see it?

I was afraid to say anything because I was scared I was going to screw it all up. My mouth had a way of getting the better of me in stressful moments and I was determined to be a grown up about all of this. I thought about my options. I could run from Eric but he would always be ahead of me. He was much better at all of this than I was. It occurred to me then that maybe, just maybe, I had been chasing him without realizing I was doing it. That was a scary thought.

I waited too long to say something in return, obviously, because Eric dropped my hand. "You can run now."

"Huh?" I wasn't sure I heard right.

"Isn't that what you do when I try to talk to you about anything that doesn't involve a life threatening situation or vampire politics?" The sad part was, he wasn't kidding.

"Eric..." I trailed off, feeling like a child who'd been caught with their hand in the cookie jar. I wasn't at all prepared for what he'd just said to me.

"I am finished trying to convince you that you belong to me, Sookie." Eric pushed me back gently and opened the door of his car.

I was stunned. He got in the car and I knew I should be saying something, anything, to keep him from leaving. My mouth just hung open instead. Why wouldn't my mouth move? The car started and Eric shifted the car into gear. I knew I had just a few precious seconds before he would be gone, and then all bets were off. _Just say any words, Sookie. Say something!_

But I didn't. I said nothing. Eric drove away and it felt like he had somehow attached my heart to the exhaust pipe and dragged it out of my body as he pulled away.

* * *

**A/N:** Reviews are lovely, but not mandatory. I will be posting part 4 tomorrow where we visit "Say Anything" by way of a chapter called "In Your Eyes". Thanks for reading!


	4. In Your Eyes

**A/N: **Thank you so much for the reviews/alerts/favorites that came with yesterday's chapter in spite of how many of your wanted to shake Sookie for being so stubborn. I'm so happy to see this being so well-received. I'm trying really hard to keep up with the reviews. It so much easier to track on livejournal, let me tell you *sigh* In the meantime, I'm still getting used to things here so please be patient with me. I'll get the hang of it soon enough.

**And before I forget _yet again_, I do not own any of these characters. I just like to cover them in lemon zest and lock them in closets.  
**

* * *

"_One question: do you need... someone, or do you need me?" -Llody Dobler_

**In Your Eyes**

I stood outside for what felt like hours after Eric's car was gone. Tears silently fell down my cheeks and I did my best just to keep breathing. My chest felt like it was trying to cave in on me. I was still standing there in the same spot when Sam came out of the bar, ready to call it a night.

"Sookie, what are you still doing here?" Sam walked over to me. When I didn't answer he put his hands on my face. "Sookie?"

"He left." I barely croaked out.

"Who left?"

"Eric. He left." I squeezed my eyes closed.

"What happened?"

"I think..." I sniffled and wiped at my face. "I think he told me he loved me. I couldn't say it. I couldn't..." I couldn't finish my sentence.

Sam didn't say anything. Instead he pulled me into a hug and rubbed my back in soothing circles. That was when I broke down. Sam had never been a big supporter of my connection to vampires, but he was still a good enough friend to put all that aside when I was in pain. I sobbed against Sam's chest. I felt my knees give out a little and he held me up. I was a mess.

I'm not sure how long we stood there like that, but eventually Sam walked me over to his trailer and sat me down in an old folding chair while he went inside to get me some napkins and a glass of water. I was hiccuping and trying to regain my composure when he returned. He held out the napkins first so I could wipe my face and then handed me the water.

"Thank you, Sam." My voice staggered out slowly.

Sam took a seat in the chair next to me and put a warm hand on my knee. "He told you he loved you, huh?"

"I think so." I sipped more of the water. "He remembers what happened while he was cursed. He told me that a few weeks ago."

"He's known all this time?" Sam looked a little angry.

"No, no, he didn't remember until..." I trailed off, not sure I could tell Sam that I'd slept with Eric again.

"Until?" Sam leaned closer. I looked Sam in the eyes. He thought about it for a moment and then when he startled, I knew he'd figured it out. "Oh. So you two...you uh...huh."

"Sam..."

"I didn't know you felt that way about Eric." Sam scratched the back of his neck.

"I didn't think I did, but there was a storm and we got locked in a closet. We started talking and the next thing you know the lights are out and we were alone. He kissed me and-" Sam held up a hand to stop me from telling him anymore. "Sorry."

"You don't need to apologize to me, Sookie." Sam stood up and stared at the stars overhead. "Do you love him?"

"I've been asking myself that question just about every day since...well....for a really long time."

"And what's the answer?"

"The answer is I don't know if there are words to describe how I feel about Eric. It's all just this great big contradiction, you know? Like sometimes I think I love him so much I hate him. I can't tell if being with him is heaven or hell. I just get all twisted up and turned inside out when he's near me. I feel like maybe I become this different person sometimes. Sometimes it's a good thing and sometimes it's really scary. He sees me in a way that no one else ever has. He knows me, Sam. And the crazy part is, I know he was telling the truth about everything. I would know if he was lying to me."

"So then what's the problem? If you love him, you should tell him." Sam urged, much to my surprise. "Look, Sookie, you know I'm not his biggest fan. I don't like that you always seem to end up in danger when you're around him. But the fact that you always come out on the winning side says something. I know he's done a lot of good things for you."

"He's also hurt me more than anyone ever has."

"Even Bill?" Sam asked and then looked at me with regret in his eyes. "I shouldn't have said that."

"No, it's okay." I finished off my water and stood up. "For a long time I didn't think anyone could ever hurt me more than Bill. He betrayed me in a pretty big way, and I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to forgive him for what he did. I would like to believe that he honestly did love me, but I'll never know it for sure."

"Sookie, you can't keep holding on to what Bill did to you. Eric might be a vampire, but he's not Bill. Even I can see that." Sam reached out and put a hand on my shoulder. "You have to stop waiting for the bad in life to find you, cher, or you're going to miss out on the good while you're at it. Life's too short for that."

"And if I go there to tell him I was an idiot and he tells me to go away, then what?"

"Then at least you know where you stand and you can start to put it all behind you."

"We're bonded, Sam. It's not that simple."

"Yes, Sookie, it is." Sam insisted and the sincerity in his eyes told me he was right.

It really was just that simple.

* * *

In spite of how late it was, I couldn't wait anymore. I knew if I went home to sleep on it I would find a way to talk myself out of saying all the things I needed to say. So, I got in the car and drove to Shreveport. There were only a few cars in the lot at Fangtasia, but that was to be expected at the exceptionally late hour. Eric's car wasn't there.

I parked all the same, hoping he would show up. What I got instead was Pam. She came toward me in her street clothes instead of one of her costumes. She was dressed in a pair of light blue pencil pants and a white cardigan. There was a headband holding her pale blond hair back from her face. All of the heavy makeup was gone in favor of a more classic and elegant look. To see her now, you would never think she was the haunting vampiress that manned the door of the premier Shreveport vampire bar.

"Sookie, what an unpleasant surprise." Pam glared at me. Pam had never greeted me in such a way before.

"Pam, do you know where Eric is?"

"Yes, I do, but it's hardly my place to give away his whereabouts." Pam's voice was icy cold.

"Did I do something to offend you, Pam?"

Pam laughed. Oh that couldn't be good. "Sookie, do you have any idea what it took for Eric to tell you his feelings? You were never part of his plans. You were just one of those enigmas that surfaced and he's been entranced by you ever since. For someone with keener sight than most, you are fucking blind when it comes to my master."

Pam was cursing at me. I couldn't recall ever hearing her curse. I was tempted to lock my car doors, but knew it wouldn't do much good if she chose to attack me.

"You should be afraid of me." Pam said as if she could read my mind. "I do not take kindly to people who toy with Eric."

"Pam, I-"

"Do not bother trying to explain yourself to me, Sookie." Pam slithered closer to my car. "My heart is not the one you have broken."

I broke his heart? Shit. "He caught me off guard, Pam."

"That's what he does, Sookie. You aren't new to his ways."

"That doesn't make it any easier, Pam."

"Who said it would be easy?" Pam fired back. She shook her head and said, "This is exactly why vampires and humans are not meant to form attachments to one another. You mortals always put things off as if you have an eternity to make it right, when in reality, you have precious little time. Eric, on the other hand, can afford to be patient because he has centuries upon centuries to rectify things. But even Eric doesn't have a bottomless pit of patience, Sookie. If he is convinced there is nothing worth fighting for, he will not fight."

She was right, of course, and I knew it. It hit me smack between the eyes that I might just be too late.

"Go home, my little telepathic friend. Eric won't be returning tonight." Pam advised and started to walk away.

"For what it's worth, Pam, I am sorry." I apologized to her.

"Tell it to my master. If you can find him." Pam glared at me over her shoulder before proceeding to her car.

I was still sitting in my parking space when her car peeled out of the parking lot. Apparently driving skills were a family trait.

* * *

I drove back to my house at a snail's pace. I left the windows down to keep me awake. I couldn't listen to music. I was afraid I'd hear some upbeat song that would make me angrier at myself than I already was. I knew if I heard a sad song I would burst into tears. If I heart a love song...well...I didn't want to think about it.

I pulled into my driveway and up to my house. The lights were all out. Amelia's car was missing, but she had said something about going over to Tray's for the night. I stared at my big empty house looming ahead of me. I didn't want to go in. I wanted to find Eric, but had absolutely no idea where to start looking for him. If he wasn't at the bar I had to figure he was at home, but I had no idea where that was. Eric had never invited me to his home. For all I knew his house was over the state line in Arkansas. I sighed and got out of the car.

As I was walking to the back door I paused for a moment to consider the possibility that maybe he had gotten hungry. There were plenty of fangbangers at the bar just waiting to be his next meal. All of a sudden I had this image in my head of some freakishly pale woman moaning and grinding against him as he drank from her neck. The thought made me sick to my stomach. Eric had never flaunted things like that in front of me. In fact, he never mentioned his feeding habits, and I hadn't realized until just that moment how thankful I was for it.

I, on the other hand, had flaunted not one, but two, relationships in his face. First it was Bill, but that couldn't really be helped. I was with Bill before I even knew anything about Eric. Quinn was another story, of course. Part of me thought maybe I'd subconsciously used Quinn to get back at Eric, even though I was striking back at Eric for things that weren't really his fault either. He hadn't asked to be cursed. He certainly hadn't been asked to be cursed so he could spend time with me as a version of himself he wouldn't later recall.

He hadn't known anything about what Bill had been up to, and in spite of my unwillingness to be completely forthcoming about what happened while he was cursed, he'd still come for me every single time I called him. Even with all the crazy history and drama between us, Eric never failed me. He was there when Tara was in trouble. He was there when I got kidnapped. He made sure I wasn't hurt when Peter Threadgill attacked Sophie-Anne. He was there when Andre tried to force me into a blood bond. Even in his daytime stupor he was able to save my life by flying us out a window in Rhodes. He was the one person who hadn't let me down since it had become public knowledge to the vampire community that I had an ability most humans didn't.

He had put himself in danger so many times to save my life. He had taken _silver_ for me, for Christ's sake! Bill never would have done that! And, okay, so maybe he did it- in part at least- so that he could trick me into drinking his blood, but he'd been in a hell of a lot of pain before I did it. Those bullets would have killed me. For him they were nothing more than an irritation. Actually, from Eric's point of view, they were an opportunity.

I couldn't help but laugh. I should have known better. I shook my head as I made my way up the stairs and tried to count the number of times Eric had saved my life. I realized it didn't matter. Just once was enough. And to top it all off, he loved me and had been hurt when I hadn't had the guts to say it back. I didn't deserve him.

I slipped the key into the lock and turned the knob. I dropped my purse and keys on the counter and locked the door behind me before taking off my shoes. I pulled my hair from the ponytail it had been in for the better part of the day and shook it loose. I felt that familiar tingle in my head that allowed me to start relaxing. I got myself another glass of water and gulped it down. I contemplated having some ice cream but decided that no amount of rocky road was going to fix what was wrong. All it would do was go straight to my thighs.

As I walked to my bedroom I pulled off my Merlotte's t-shirt. I was tired of stinking of smoke, beer and grease. I wanted to take a shower, brush my teeth and crawl into bed. I wanted sleep to just wipe my slate clean. Tomorrow was another day. Maybe I would have more luck finding Eric.

"Took you long enough." Eric glared at me with blazing blue eyes.

There I stood in tight black shorts, a pair of socks and my bra. "I went to Fangtasia to see you." I clutched my crumpled t-shirt to my chest.

"Pam called me."

"She gave me hell, too."

"Good." Usually Eric was one to spring to my defense when others gave me problems. Given his current state of mind, I couldn't really blame him.

"Eric, I-"

"You had your chance to speak. Now it is my turn." Eric was on his feet and looming over me. He backed me up against the wall and put his hands on either side of me, effectively boxing me in. I gulped back my fear. "This ends tonight, Sookie."

I kept my mouth shut since he looked rather menacing standing there like he was, and he'd already told me my time to talk was over. Under other circumstances I would have gone off on him for being the typical controlling vampire, but I knew it wasn't the time for that. It was time for me to button up and just listen.

"No more games, Sookie. I am done." He sounded more angry than he did defeated. I opened my mouth to argue but the rapid descent of his fangs convinced me he meant business about me keeping my mouth shut. "We will go back to the way it was in the beginning. I will call you when I need use of your talent. We will not be friends. We will not be lovers. You have tried my patience one time too many, and if I did not care for you, I would have drained you long ago."

The first half of his speech stung. Not only was he telling me he was taking away his friendship and whatever else there might have been for us, but that he planned to treat me like I was merely there for his amusement. He was going to use me when it was good for him, and the rest of the time I didn't matter. I wasn't okay with that. I wasn't okay with that one bit and it made me mad. I could feel my face start to flush with anger.

"You are angry with me." He observed.

"You bet your ass I am!" I glared at him.

"You put yourself in this position, Sookie."

"Because I couldn't do things on _your_ time table? I went to Fangtasia to apologize to you, you big jerk!" Without even thinking about it I shoved against him. It was like punching marble, but I didn't care. "You think you're the only one with feelings around here? Well, you're not! You don't get to make all the decisions. And forgive me for being surprised when you said what you said earlier. I wasn't expecting you to tell me you love me."

Eric searched my eyes and I knew he was formulating an argument for all the things I'd just said. With Eric, I never really knew what to expect. For all I knew, he would change the subject entirely and pretend like nothing ever happened. Somehow I didn't think I would be that lucky. I hoped, as twisted as it might sound, that maybe he would just kiss me. I'd had angry makeup sex only once in my life, and until I'd had sex with Eric, it was the best sex I'd ever had.

Apparently Eric picked up my impure thoughts through the bond. Something changed in his eyes and I prepared myself to be absolutely pillaged by him. Instead, he removed his hands from either side of my head. He took a step back from me, almost like he was afraid I had some sort of contagious disease he might catch. His silence was eating me alive.

"Will you _please_ say something?" I tried to keep the anger (okay, so it was more like desperation) out of my voice.

"I have said all I came to say." Eric was being freakishly passive. I wasn't sure I liked this new attitude of his. I didn't much care for this cool-as-a-cucumber exterior he was displaying. I wasn't used to him behaving with an air of indifference when it came to me, and it was starting to drive me up the wall.

"So that's it? We're done now?" I felt my stomach turn. I already knew the answer.

"Yes, I think we are." He sounded as stunned as I felt.

I nodded for a few seconds, trying to figure out what to say next. I stepped away from the wall. I contemplated, just for a moment, what it might feel like to walk over to him and slap him as hard as I could. I knew I wouldn't do him much damage physically but he would get the point. I might have done just that if I wasn't already aware that we were in this together. It had taken the two of us to build things up and we were both doing your best to tear it apart.

He was being so cold to me. I know I should have said something before he drove away. I was wrong. I knew that. But I hadn't intentionally hurt him. He, on the other hand, was hurting me on purpose. But rather than do the adult thing and go to the bathroom until he left, I did the stubborn Sookie thing.

"Fine. Eric, I rescind your invitation." I said it so quietly I almost hoped it wouldn't count.

It did, of course, count. I couldn't look at him as magic propelled his body from my house, forcing him out into the night. I couldn't bear to see the look in his eyes. The pain in the bond was bad enough. I was supposed to fix things, and somehow I'd managed to make them worse.

After I was sure he was gone I went to the bathroom to take a shower. I stood under the hot water and cried until the water turned cold. I dried myself off, brushed my teeth and crawled into bed. From there, I cried myself to sleep.

* * *

"Sookie, wake up." Amelia bounced onto my bed.

"Go away." I mumbled and pulled a pillow over my head.

"It's almost two in the afternoon. Unless you were up until dawn being ravaged by that Viking of yours, you have no excuse to still be in bed." Amelia taunted in that stupid sing-song voice she uses when she wants to get my attention.

I quickly picked out from her thoughts that she'd talked to Sam. I groaned and pulled the pillow closer to my face. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Well then I guess it sucks to be you." Amelia yanked the pillow away.

"Amelia, please, I-"

"Holy mother! What the hell happened to your eyes?" Amelia looked alarmed.

"I was crying all night, thank you very much."

"Here." She handed me a mug of coffee.

I sat up slowly and leaned against my old headboard. "Thank you." I grumbled.

"So, come on, tell me everything." Amelia urged and shifted on the bed so she was sitting next to me against the headboard.

"Oh I royally screwed up this time."

"Isn't that what you do?" Amelia teased with a nudge and I glared at her some more. "Sorry."

"After I left Sam I went to Fangtasia to talk to Eric." I started and the look on her face told me she knew that as well.

"Pam called me last night." She explained with a hesitant voice. "She wasn't very happy with you."

"The line forms to the left." I rolled my eyes and sipped some more of my coffee.

"So what happened after you left Fangtasia? You didn't, like, pick up a guy or something, did you?"

I arched an eyebrow at Amelia. "You know that's not my style." That was definitely more like something Amelia would do, and we both knew it.

"You can think what you want but sometimes a body just needs to be close to another body. It doesn't have to be about love." Amelia said in her own defense.

"Well, that doesn't work for me. Especially when my body only wants to be close to one body in particular and the owner of that body told me last night that he's done with me." It took all the strength I had not to start crying again.

Shock of all shocks, Amelia remained quiet. I figured she would be needing more details than I had given her so I quoted back the things that had happened the night before. I told her about the new "arrangement" I was in with Eric. I told her how I had planned to apologize to Eric but he wouldn't let me. I told her about rescinding his invitation and the pain I'd felt in the bond when he left.

"So you never actually told Eric you were sorry for being such a chicken shit?" Amelia said in such a sweet voice I had to forgive her for being blunt with me.

"He wouldn't let me!" I argued, though I knew it was pointless.

"I don't know who you think you're fooling, Sookie, but since when have you _ever_ taken an order from Eric? From what I gather, he's asked you to do things or at least attemped to give you an order. You negotiation, argue and fight it out until eventually it somehow works for you both. Why should it be any different this time?" Amelia took my mug when it was empty and put it down on the table next to her.

"It's different this time." I mumbled.

"Okay, that's it." Amelia sighed and grabbed my hand. She yanked me up off my bed.

"What are you doing?"

"I am going to help you fix this because if this is the way you're going to be, then I'm going to have to find somewhere else to live, and I don't want to find somewhere else to live." Amelia pulled open my closet doors and began to go through my clothes.

"Amelia, I really just want to be al-"

"Stop." She ordered with narrowed eyes. "Sookie Stackhouse _does not_ have pity parties. She doesn't just roll over and admit defeat. In the whole time I've known you, you have never once just let someone walk all over you. You're a fighter, missy, and you're going to start acting like it."

Amelia's words were like a splash of cold water in my face. She was right, of course. The problem was I just wasn't sure if I had any fight left in me. What good would fighting be if Eric was convinced there was nothing left to fight for? Pam knew Eric better than anyone. She'd told me that Eric didn't fight for the things that weren't worth saving. Clearly he didn't see me as something worth saving.

"For as long as I've known you, you have always been as stubborn as the day is long. I was there when that douche broke your heart in New Orleans, Sookie. I saw how hard you took it, but you survived. You fought back. Besides, from all I can tell about Eric, this is _exactly_ what you two do." Amelia moved angers around in my closet, looking for something.

"What we do?" I arched an eyebrow at her.

"Oh come on!" She turned to me with a grin on her face. "You mean to tell me that the fighting, the bickering, the banter...it doesn't get you two all hot and bothered for one another? He was a Viking, right? You think he doesn't get all juiced up before a battle?"

Oh, Eric got juiced up alright. I thought about the night of the ambush at Sophie-Anne's. I could so clearly remember Wybert's head at my feet, his vacant eyes staring up at me. I'd had no idea I was in any imminent danger, but Eric had been keeping an eye on me like he always did. The next thing I knew I was on the ground with Eric on top of me like a human shield. When he protected me like that it really was a win-win situation for him. Not only was he keeping me alive but our bodies were much closer together than usual.

He'd kissed me like our lives depended on it, and maybe they had. I figured out real quick that if a blood battle wasn't about to start a kiss would only be the tip of the iceberg for us. My body was always willing to betray me where Eric was concerned. I remembered the amusement in his face when he'd picked up Wybert's head and rolled it at Ra Shawn. He looked damn near alive in a human way when he'd brought his sword down on Ra Shawn, ending that vampire's long life. I'd watched as he charged the floor, daring all others to try and take him on. He was in his element. He was a warrior.

I remembered how Pam once told me Eric always got what he wanted. I remembered that little defiant voice in my head, chiming in to tell me that I could be the one to shatter his pristine record. At the time I had only mildly attempted to silence that voice. Now I was prepared to stuff a gag down its throat and lock it in a closet. That little voice always got me into the most trouble.

"Here!" Amelia jumped up and down, clapping her hands with the excitement of a child on Christmas morning. "Isn't this the dress you said you were wearing the first time you met Eric?"

It was. Amelia had found _the dress_. I hadn't worn it once since that night. It was hanging in the back of my closet. I felt my heart skip a beat. If I wanted a second chance, wasn't it sort of silly to wear that dress, though?

"I don't know." I shook my head, thinking maybe that dress had some bad juju attached to it.

"Go try it on." Amelia thrust the hanger at me. "Go on! Shoo!" She spun me around and even swatted my backside when I didn't move fast enough.

"You know, I'm starting to think maybe you finding a new place to live isn't such a bad thing." I said snarkily as I went to the bathroom.

I put on the dress and was delighted to realize it still fit as well as it ever had. I brushed my hair and washed my face. If I actually put a little effort into my appearance I'd look damn good in that dress. I brushed my teeth and intentionally took much longer than necessary just to drive Amelia nuts.

"Sookie, are you okay in there?"

"Yep! Coming out now." I warned and then opened the door painfully slowly.

"You're killing me, Smalls!" She was quoting The Sandlot the way she often did when I did things to get on her nerves. I giggled and opened the door the rest of the way.

"Holy shit." She breathed, taking in my appearance in _the dress_.

"Good?" I turned slowly.

"Sookie, _I'm_ thinking about doing you in that dress." Amelia grinned at me.

My face turned bright red. "Amelia Broadway!" I swatted at her playfully.

"I think we have a winner, Sookie. Now all you need are those little fuck me shoes you have in your closet that you don't think I know about, and that vampire won't know what hit him." Amelia nodded to me.

"You think?"

"Sookie, my dear, would I lie to you?" Amelia linked her arm with mine as she winked at me.

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**A/N:** So, what'd you think? There's a little light at the end of the tunnel, right? Amelia did what a good best friend would do and got Sookie feeling encouraged and motivated to try again. If you're a fan of Pam's snarky attitude (and how could you **NOT** be), then you will enjoy the final chapter of this story. If the fact that it was inspired by The Princess Bride gives you any indication where we're headed well....yeah...I will be posting that tomorrow *grins*

Thanks again for reading! Reviews make my little black heart happy.

_Meg_


	5. Storybook Love

**A/N:** Thanks to everyone who has made this story a favorite or put it on alert. I really, really appreciate the love so far! I also need to say thanks to **tvgirl_nicole** and **dazed-rose** for pimping me out on twitter and in the SVM universe. That's super awesome. You girls rock my socks.

**And for the record, I do not own any of these characters. I just like to cover them in lemon zest and lock them in closets.**

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**Storybook Love**

**EPOV**

I sat behind my desk trying to concentrate on the papers in front of me. I had thought of nothing but Sookie since I rose for the night. I was also biting back the rage that had been building. She was happy. How could she be happy when I was feeling so miserable? I had played the only card I had left, and cut her off. It was a risk, no doubt about it, but I rarely lost when I gambled.

Sookie, however, had always found new and clever ways of surprising me. It seemed this time would be no different. I'd thought that by walking away like I did the night before and then telling her that I would basically use her at my convenience would light a fire in her. Even if she hit me, at least I would know she cared. Instead, she had be restrained and almost withdrawn. She'd said she planned to apologize to me but she'd done no such thing.

Had my speech changed her mind or had she never really planned to do so in the first place? I wasn't quite sure. What I knew, with absolute certainty, was that she was happy as a clam somewhere. I closed off the bond, not wanting to feel any more of her happiness while I was feeling something totally other than that. I forced myself not to think of her and got back to work.

There was a knock at the door and I reluctantly looked up. "Come in." I barked from my seat.

The door opened and there was Pam, dressed in one of her leather dresses looking like an undead dominatrix. Her hair and makeup were flawless as ever. My child really was a beauty.

"What is it, Pam?" I was in no mood for chit chat or a lecture from that Abby person Pam was always spouting off about.

"There's something in the bar I think you should see." Pam's face was expressionless.

"I have work to do." I waved dismissively.

"Would I bother you for something petty?" Pam questioned.

I looked up from my paperwork once again. "What, might I ask, is so fascinating that I should put myself on display?"

I didn't want to deal with fangbangers either. I didn't want them throwing themselves at me or making scenes as they clamored for my attention. A thousand of them wouldn't come close to earning a tenth of a percent of my admiration or affection. The only human I gave a damn about was somewhere having the time of her life. The humans out front were lucky I didn't just burn the whole place down.

"Stop sulking." Pam ordered me and I arched an eyebrow at her. "This isn't you."

"You are on thin ice, Pamela." I put a little menace into my voice.

"You're angry at Sookie. You have every right to be. Life goes on. You of all people should know that. Now come out to the front with me." Pam beckoned me forward with a crook of her slender finger. When I failed to rise she started talking again. "You are like one of those silly androgynous teenage males with the goofy haircuts and maudlin music playing in the background."

I wasn't sure what Pam was trying to tell me, but it was getting on my nerves. "Pam, I'm not in the mood. Go away."

Pam glared at me with contempt and then stalked out of the office, slamming the door extra hard on her way out. I leaned back in my chair. I knew Pam was right. I was wallowing in self-pity and it was a waste of time. Feeling sorry for myself wasn't going to bring Sookie back to me. The best thing I could do is move on with my life. If she wanted to work things out she would have been waiting for me at the bar when I arrived earlier.

I threw my pen down on the desk and pushed back in my chair. I stood quickly and made my way out of the office. I buttoned the jacket of my suit and strode out to the bar. The crowds parted easily as I walked over to my throne, as Sookie had always called it, and took a seat. I waited for Pam to present me with whatever fascinating little human she had come across that evening. I scanned the crowd thinking I might spot it myself.

My eyes were to the left when something caught their attention, pulling them in the other direction. A vision in white came toward me. Blond hair bouncing on tan shoulders. Blue eyes sparkling. Little red pumps click-clacking across the dance floor. The most delicious scent hung in the air and she was still about twenty feet away from me. I could hear her heart and I thought if I closed my eyes I might even feel her breathing. I wanted to look away but I couldn't bring myself to do so. Without my consent my fangs emerged.

She had accused me of being powerful. She wasn't aware she had a power all her own. She stepped toward me with a graceful, yet nervous, confidence on her face. It was much like it was the first time I ever saw her. She looked like she'd just decided to swing by on her way to a garden party. _The dress._ She was wearing it.

I'd entertained many thoughts in regards to that particular garment. I'd made a vow to myself that the next time I saw her in _the dress_ that it wouldn't survive. I would take her in that dress wherever we were. I had envisioned various couplings in that dress- on top of my desk, up against a wall, on top of the bar, bent over the arm of my couch, and quite possibly my favorite, her riding me with wild abandon on my throne. No, Sookie Stackhouse was not without her own power.

She stood at a respectable distance and waited for me to acknowledge her before she would step any closer. My Sookie was many things. A fool wasn't one of them.

"Come closer, lover." I held out a hand to her, fighting the urge to throw her over my shoulder and carry her out of the club so I could fuck her senseless in the privacy of my own home.

She took my hand and stepped onto the platform beside me. I looked her up and down trying to remember every single detail of her appearance so I could recall it all later. I didn't want to miss anything.

"Could we talk, Eric?" She asked a bit nervously.

"Not now. Sit." I gestured for her to take a seat beside me.

"If you're busy, I could come back later." She offered.

"Nonsense. Sit." I said again, and she reluctantly took a seat beside me. "I am surprised to see you here tonight, Sookie. I thought the terms of our new arrangement were quite clear."

"They were. That's why I'm here."

"I see. I am guessing the terms are not satisfactory to you?"

"Not quite." She has managed to keep her eyes on mine, even though I hadn't returned her gaze. "It won't take much of your time."

"As you can see, we have a full house tonight and I have only begun my shift out here. But do stay. Have a drink." I offered her.

"I'm just fine, thanks." Sookie spoke quietly.

I wanted to lean over and tell her that she looked beautiful, but decided that was probably giving away too much too soon. I'd spent the better part of the night so far wondering just what the hell she was up to. Now here she was sitting beside me in a dress that made me want to forget all of the rules about mainstreaming and respecting human rights. I wanted to violate every single one of those rights and find new ways to make her scream out in pleasure.

We sat there in silence for what seemed like months trying to ignore one another. We each did our best to pretend the other wasn't right there. It really was an exercise in futility. The harder I tried to ignore her the more I wanted her. I could feel her pressing on the bond and finally, I'd had enough. It infuriated me that she had complained about the bond in the past and was now attempting to use it to get to me. She had accused me of trying to manipulate her feelings. It was beyond hypocritical for her to do what she had accused me of, especially since I had never taken advantage of the bond like I could have.

Rather than yanking her off the stage I simply got up and walked away. I headed straight to my office. I figured one of two things was going to happen: either she would follow me or she would stay there and wait for me. I was betting on the former. I left my office door open. I'd been perched on the edge of my desk for less than thirty seconds when Sookie appeared in the doorway.

_Game on, lover._

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**SPOV**

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked, knowing full well what I'd just done.

"When I first saw you in that dress, you were like an innocent lamb being led to slaughter. You were in over your head and had no idea what to expect. You walked into my bar without a single thought in your head of how heavily you were flirting with danger. You are not that girl anymore, Sookie. You know much more. You are older. You are smarter. You are aware. And still, you toy with me." Eric's hands were tucked in his pockets.

It was hard to tell if he was angry with me or amused. As a general rule, vampires were difficult to read as far as facial expressions were concerned. It didn't help one bit that Eric was keeping his end of the bond closed off. I had no idea what he was feeling and his face wasn't helping me one bit. Vampires.

"Why did you wear _the dress_, Sookie?" Eric asked me.

"I wanted to look nice." I shrugged as I took a step into his office.

"Is that the only reason?"

"I wanted to make sure I got your attention." I casually confessed.

"You succeeded." He agreed.

"Last night you said no more games." I locked eyes with him as I stepped closer.

"I did."

"Well, it seems to me like maybe you made a liar of yourself."

"How do you figure?"

"You walked away from me. You made me chase. You're still making me chase you. You didn't give me a chance to say the things I wanted to say last night. I figure that either means you're playing games with me, or you just don't give a damn. So which is it?" I was being extra sassy with him. I figured I didn't really have much to lose.

"Oh, no, Sookie. I told you how I felt. You go first." Eric insisted. Clever boy.

"I came here last night to apologize to you for not speaking up when I should have. I let fear and insecurity get the better of me. That's part of who I am. I don't like it, but it's me. I wanted to say something, Eric, but I couldn't. When I told you that you scare me, I didn't mean like I think you might kill me or physically hurt me. I know you wouldn't do that. You've put too much effort into keeping me alive to do something like that.

"You told me to yield to you more than once and I've always resisted because I don't want to be dominated by someone. I want to be equals. And I realize that because you are a vampire and I am a human, that just isn't possible. We each have our own strengths and weaknesses that we can't change, but it doesn't have to have any influence on what we might become as a couple. Whether or not you can take a walk with me on a sunny afternoon isn't going to change how I feel about you. I would hope that my inability to smell a rose from a hundred feet away wouldn't change your feelings about me. You will always be stronger and more experienced than I will. I will always be defiant and naïve to a lot of things in the world. That's just who we are.

"What I realized is that I like those differences. I like that we fight. I like that we fight for one another. Maybe it's twisted, but I like that you can get so deep under my skin. I don't know how it happened, but you burrowed your way into my heart and I honestly don't know what it would take to get rid of you. There is a part of you that just completely owns me. I've pushed that knowledge and those feelings away because it scares the hell out of me to need someone so much.

"I could maybe go along with the arrangement you laid out for me last night. I could find a way to deal with just seeing you when you need my help with something. It would take time, a lot of tears and more rocky road ice cream than is currently in production, but I could do it. Amelia reminded me today that I'm a fighter. You always knew that about me. You were the first person to see that in me and expect it from me. You've always known I was strong. You've never protected me more than I needed you to. You let me discover things on my own and you guide me in the right direction when I get twisted up the wrong way.

"The thing is, I don't want to just be in the background of your life. I've been there before and I know how it feels. I remember what it's like to look at you from across the room and pretend like I don't see you looking back at me. I remember telling myself all these things about how you and I could never have anything real. I was wrong. You knew, though. You knew from the beginning how it was supposed to be." I reached into my small red purse for the little bundle of tissue I'd stuffed inside just before I left the house.

"Is that all?" Eric asked.

"No, that's not all." I put my purse down on the couch and then walked over to Eric. "I brought you something."

I opened the wad of tissues and held up a little chunk of silver. It still had Eric's dried blood on it. It hadn't seen daylight since I got back from Dallas. It had been sitting in a box in my closet for a long time along with every note Eric ever sent me.

"Is that what I think it is?" Eric's eyes were on the silver.

"This piece of silver is a symbol for me. It's everything that is right and wrong about our relationship. It is a contradiction. You took this bullet for me and saved my life, but you did it so I could save yours right back. I know now that it wouldn't have killed you, but that's not the point. Back then, I had no idea. I thought you would die there on the floor and the idea of you not being around anymore tore me up inside. Even when you got on my nerves and drove me crazy, I never wanted to be rid of you. I certainly never wished final death on you. I don't think I could ever do that." I stared at the silver.

"I know you couldn't." Eric acknowledged. "You have put yourself at risk to save me." Eric's tone turned harsh then. "You are a stubborn fool."

"And you are a high handed jerk." I shot right back, but I kept my tone as soft as I could. I saw him smirk in my peripheral vision. "That's just who we are, Eric. I realized that we aren't going to change and love isn't about wanting to change a person. Love is about accepting someone for exactly who and what they are. I thought that if I let you into my life you would just want to change me, but I realized that's not it at all."

"The only desire I have to change you, Sookie, is to make you more aware of the world around you." Eric told me.

"I know." I nodded and put the silver down on the desk, but not too close to him. "And I also know that we can't possibly fix everything with one conversation. We have a lot of baggage to settle. But I want to try because honestly, I can't see a life that doesn't have you in it. I mean really in it- not just when it suits you."

"You are a maddening creature, Sookie Stackhouse." Eric looked over at me with those piercing blue eyes that made my knees weak and my heart flutter. "I am convinced that in spite of your protests to the contrary, you will, in fact, be the death of me." Eric looked down at the piece of silver on his desk. "I can't believe you kept this."

"I knew that was an important moment in my life." I shrugged.

"What else have you kept?" He asked with amusement.

"I'm not telling." I flushed with embarrassment.

"I think you will. I think it is the least you can do after you rescinded my invitation from your home." Eric put on his best pout.

"I rescinded your invitation because you told me we were done with one another!" I scoffed, fighting the smile that wanted to break out on my face and betray me. Eric's eyes implored me to speak. I sighed and said, "Fine. If you must know I kept some of the glass you removed from my arm."

"You what?" Eric rewarded my confession with one of those contagious belly laughs.

"It's not funny, you jerk!" I slugged him playfully.

"You are a strange being, Sookie." He shook his head between chortles.

"Shut up! This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you anything." I grumbled.

"What else have you kept?"

"I'm not telling. You laughed at me." Now it was my turn to pout. In attempts to make amends, he lifted my hand and kissed each of my knuckles. My breath hitched in my throat and I know my heart skipped a beat.

"Forgive me, lover." There was that sexy voice of his.

"You're going to have to do better than that." I shook my head, giving him a smug smile.

"Should I apologize to you like I did after you were attacked by that insipid creature in the woods?" Eric asked, though with the opening of the bond on his end, I knew he had other ideas.

"I think we've done enough talking for one night." I grabbed his face and kissed him.

Yes, we'd definitely done enough talking.

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If I hadn't known any better, I would have sworn I was drunk. A line from a song my brother used to listen to at obnoxious volumes in his truck ran through my mind. _I look at your pants and I need a kiss._ I'd always thought that line was crass. Now I was thinking maybe the person who wrote it had been in the same room as Eric. My heart was beating so fast it felt like a steady vibration in my chest with the occasional thud thrown in. For a moment I thought I might have a heart attack. If I was going to die that night, at least I was going to go out with a bang.

When I couldn't breathe anymore Eric moved his lips from mine and trailed them down my neck, nipping gently at my pulse. His fingers twisted in my hair before sliding down my back in search of the zipper on the dress. I'd gone to Fangtasia knowing there was a distinct possibility the dress might not survive my visit. I was prepared for the loss.

"You're being awfully careful with my dress. I thought it would be ribbons by now." I don't know how I found the words.

"You will wear this for me again." Eric's voice had a slight command to it.

I couldn't help but smile at the implication of what he was saying. His mouth moved farther down, giving attention to the top of my breasts, as they were spilling out of my dress. My fingers scratched at his scalp. Before he could get too involved with my cleavage I pulled his mouth back to mine. He scooped me up off the desk and carried me around to the chair behind it.

I found myself straddling him with my skirt conveniently bunched up between us. While my dress had been deemed safe, my panties had met their demise in record time. His fingers moved expertly just as they always had and I made sure to hold his gaze, as intense as it was to do such a thing. I didn't notice when my hands started doing a little moving of their own and unbuttoned his pants.

All of a sudden I was laying on my back on his desk with that silver bullet wedged under my back. I didn't mind, though. My body was too busy focusing on the movement of his fingers and the way he was kissing me. I know I've said it before, but I really felt like I might burst into flames. My back arched to an almost painful angle as I cried out with my release. My body trembled and relaxed as it collapsed onto the desk.

I reminded myself to breathe and I ended up laughing, of all things. Eric looked at me with curiosity, his beautiful face hovering so close to mine. I pushed Eric back gently and sat up slowly. I reached behind me and removed the piece of silver from my back where it had embedded itself. I looked down at the piece of silver and wondered what to do with it.

Eric picked up a trash can next to his desk. "You won't be needing that anymore, Sookie. You have me."

I held my hand over the can but didn't drop the silver in just yet. "Now, when you say I have you, what does that mean, exactly?"

"It means I am yours in every way one person can belong to another. I meant what I said last night, lover. I am done. No more games. This is it. You and me." There was such intensity in his eyes. He hadn't asked me a question, but I nodded anyway. "And you, Sookie? Do I have you?"

I dropped the silver in the trash and said, "I yield."

Our eyes were locked on one another. The blood flooded and my eyes widened some with all of the emotion that Eric had been keeping away from me. I gasped quietly, trying to absorb it all. And then Eric was on me. His clothes disappeared entirely before I even knew what was happening. I didn't want to feel anything between us but he was determined to have me at least once in that dress. I figured it was the least I could do, all things considered.

My legs went around his waist, pulling him closer as they locked at the ankles. The time for whispering sweet nothings to one another was over. Eric's expression told me he meant business. I knew he wouldn't hurt me, but there was something sexy-scary in his eyes that made my breath catch. With very little finesse and absolutely no warning, Eric was inside me. Our eyes were still locked on one anothers as our hips began to move.

He was moving too slowly for my taste with all of the intesity that surrounded us. His thrusts were slow but powerful. Each one seemed to punctuate another emotion I felt in the bond and elicited a sound from each of us. I couldn't take my eyes off him. His fingers laced with mine and my legs wrapped themselves around his waist. Considering I was having sex with Eric on his desk at his bar, it was far more intimate than I'd thought it would be. Not that I'd given too much thought to what it would be like to have sex with Eric in his office. Okay, maybe it crossed my mind once or twice. Don't judge.

He lowered his body closer to mine, raising my hands up over my head and his mouth found the pulse point in my neck. My feet goaded him into thrusting faster and my hips did their best to raise up and meet him. Of course that's much easier said than done with you have a vampire who weighs a ton practically laying on top of you.

Eric paid special attention to a spot on my neck below my ear before nuzzling where he was planning to bite. I wanted to tell him to just do it and get it over with but I knew he was saving that for last. It would be the cherry on the sundae for us both and he was very well aware of it. My heart felt like it was going to pound its way out of my chest. That tight coil of ecstasy was just starting to make its presence known deep in my belly. I felt that familiar warmth that I associated with sex with Eric start to radiate from my heart. Oddly enough, it also caused chills to run wild down my spine. I guess that's a pretty clear indication that you're about to lose control.

Eric whispered in my ear although I had absolutely no idea what he was saying. All I knew was that I was very close to my own little happy ending. I wasn't just feeling my own pleasure, but his as well. At the exact right moment he licked my neck as a warning and then he bit. I cried out as I came undone, my body tensing and relaxing at the exact same time. I was done. My legs fell away from his waist and whatever grip I had on his hands pulsated for just a moment before going slack.

His moment followed my own with a shout of the same words he'd whispered to me just a few moments before. He licked my wounds closed before nuzzling my neck for a moment. I lightly dragged my nails up and down his back ever so slowly. I kissed the top of his head lazily and felt my eyes starting to close. I just wanted everything to stop. I would have stayed like that forever if I could have but my ability to breath was compromised.

"Eric?" I gasped.

"Yes, lover?" He looked at me with adoring eyes.

"I can't breathe." I smiled at him and he moved up to kiss me. "That doesn't help." I said into his mouth.

He smiled against my lips and then pulled me up off his desk, bringing me to sit in his lap in his chair. He combed his long fingers through my hair and a snuggled against him. I kissed the line of his jaw. My brain thought I should be saying something by my mouth was content to just bask in the silence. There was no more tension or urgency. We were perfectly happy just being together. I knew it couldn't last forever and it seemed a shame to ruin it.

"Come to my house with me." Eric practically purred in my ear.

"Eric, I can't. I have to work tomorrow and I don't have any clothes to wear-"

"You won't need clothes, lover, I assure you." His voice was low and husky and there was definitely movement in his lap.

I giggled quietly and turned my face toward his. "I guess it would be sleazy to spend the entire night making love in your office."

"Nonsense," Eric feathered kisses on my face. "I just do not wish to share those beautiful sounds you make with others."

I gasped and pulled away from him. I'd forgotten about the heightened senses of the other vampires. No doubt they'd all just heard everything. I must have turned bright red since Eric let loose one of those laughs that always made my heart melt a little since they were so rare.

"Fine, we'll go, but we're going out the back door." I glared at him.

My statement only made Eric laugh louder. I felt the unmistakable heat of embarrassment in my ears as I got up off his lap. Eric was dressed in record time and reaching for my hand to lead me out of his office. He stopped us just for a second at the door.

"There's no going back now, you know?" His fingers laced with mine.

"I know." I squeezed my palm to his.

"Are you scared?"

"Only in the best possible way." I smiled up at him. I pushed myself up onto the tips of my toes and kissed his cheek.

And then he took me home.

-FIN-

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**That concludes my nod to the 80s. I hope you enjoyed the ride. Thanks again to everyone who alerted/favorited/commented or sent me PMs about this story. I really appreciate the lurve. Reviews rock my socks *hint hint***


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